I have to agree with Pete on this. I personally believe that the water issue is a myth.

Think about it...

For all those people asking... begging... for their "secret" recipe... the owner can fall back on "it's the NY/Chicago water." The person can only shrug their shoulders and walk away since they can't buy THAT ingredient in the store!

I have tasted water that I thought was much better than others but I have no idea how much effect it would have on pizza. I know Pappa Johns uses an expensive osmosis water filtering system to get the best water possible.

It does seem like a stretch but then again we have all noticed that it is attention to detail when making a pizza that separates a good pizza from a great pizza.

On this same topic (water), I saw the following question posed today to Tom Lehmann at PMQ about distilled water, and Tom's response:

What effect does using distilled water in dough formula have, all other ingredients and factors being the same? I understand the PH is 7, good for dough production, but is the lack of minerals in distilled water a factor? I am going to produce dough from a mobile concession trailer so am looking for a consistent water. Otis;

As opposed to tap water, it will produce a softer, slightly sticky dough. This is easily corrected by using less water in the dough. Once this is done, there will be no further changed in the dough or finished product as a result of using distilled water. It should work fine for you. Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Not surprisingly, Big Dave at PMQ also subscribes to the "water is a myth" proposition, judging from this excerpt I found at PMQ:

"NY pizza can't be duplicated because of the water is an Urban Legend. I've seen dead ringers of Brooklyn style pizza in south Florida. The water in Florida is totally different than in NY. It's all a matter of trial and error to duplicate any pizza dough from anywhere. From a marketing standpoint I love the theory. It sure makes NY style pizza unique. BD"

But that doesn't stop people from trying. I found this piece at the website of a pizzeria "Angelina's" in Ohio:

We use ONLY Distillata Artesian Spring Water in all of our sauce and dough recipes. Distillata Artesian Spring Water is nature's own uniquely pure beverage - free of sodium, chlorine and calories! It's delivered fresh from a naturally free-flowing spring in rural northern Ohio. Monitored daily, it exceeds all governmental regulations for drinking water.

Just a comment on the "sticking" in the pan issue. From time to time I purchase frozen Lou's (I live 5 miles from one of their locations) and on the cover (at least now) they recommend that when you take the pizza out of the freezer, lift it out of the pan, and put a light layer of olive oil in the pan... then put the pizza back in. This is easy to do when it is frozen like a brick.

They also suggest that you let it sit in the refrigerator section for an hour or two before baking.

I do the oil application every time, but rarely had the patience for the wait an hour or two. If I am going to eat a frozen pizza it is because I don't have time to make my own.

In any case, I have never had one of their pizzas stick to the pan as shown in the pictures, so the oil must do the trick.